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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27851078">Picnic Interrupted</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot'>Onehelluvapilot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tumblr prompt fics [41]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Hurt Lancelot (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:15:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27851078</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lancelot being thrown from his horse interrupts the group's picnic plans</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gwen &amp; Lancelot (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Lancelot &amp; Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Lancelot &amp; Merlin (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Tumblr prompt fics [41]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922554</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Picnic Interrupted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The maples were turning color for the fall and with the afternoon light filtering through the trees, it was a beautiful day for picnic outside of Camelot. Lancelot and Merlin rode in the front, with Gwen and Arthur side by side a little ways behind. The king had argued that it wasn't appropriate for his servant to be ahead of him, but Lancelot, as the designated bodyguard, had to be in the front so that he'd come across any danger first, and the queen refused to deny him his friend's company. For either of them, actually, as she made clear with a wink to Merlin as she was debating with Arthur about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lancelot kept alert for danger even as he chatted with Merlin, taking his body guarding duty seriously. Consequently, he saw the telltale slither of a snake just a second before his horse did, but this wasn't enough time to react before the animal did. It reared up, and the knight was thrown off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had spent much of his childhood learning how to fall, either pushed around by bullies or while being trained by any weapons instructor, soldier, or knight he could pester into teaching him something, but that knowledge applied only to being on his feet and he had little experience falling off of horses. He led the fall with his shoulder, which was better than his head he supposed, but when his arm hit the ground he felt something pop in a way it definitely wasn't supposed to. For half a second he just felt sick until the pain hit full force.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time he got his senses back, only able to hold the agony in check by virtue of lots of practice, he saw that Merlin had managed to get the horses under control, having dismounted and now holding onto the reins of both his own and Lancelot's. He passed them over to his boss, along with Gwen, who had just gotten down. Both of them rushed over to Lance and dropped down beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you hurt?" Merlin demanded. "Where are you hurt?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-" Lancelot gasped, still feeling kind of stunned. "Shoulder?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you hit your head at all?" Gwen demanded as Merlin moved to look at his shoulder. He could only moan in response as the physician's assistant's long fingers probed at a spot that made him nearly black out from the pain. Another hand, softer and smaller than the servant's, began to card through his hair. It was probably to check for bumps or contusions, he realized, but it had the secondary function of being very soothing, and keeping him tethered to consciousness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lance, your shoulder is dislocated," Merlin informed him. The knight bit his lip so as not to whimper as his arm was arranged over his side. "I'm going to put it back in. This is going to hurt."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't give a countdown before pulling on Lancelot's arm with one hand while the other squeezed on the joint to guide it in. The knight screamed before abruptly going quiet as he passed out. He came to with his head cradled in Gwen's lap, her skirts a soft cushion. His shoulder hurt less than it had before, though it was still sore and the pain spiked when he moved it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Easy," Arthur cautioned when he tried to sit up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How long was I out?" He asked blearily. It had to be at least a few minutes, since the king had had time to dismount, tie the horses up, and come over to kneel beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not too long," Merlin replied, though the relief evident on his face showed how worried he had been. "Lance, did you hit your head at all when you fell? It's important, so please try to remember."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I don't think so. My shoulder took most of the force."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's good. Well, not that your shoulder got messed up but that you didn't hit your head."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That could have been really bad," Gwen agreed softly. She looked scared as Lancelot stared up at her, and in that moment he wanted to do nothing more than reassure her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It wasn't though. I'm okay." He reached out his undamaged left hand to Arthur, who pulled him to sit upright. His right arm he kept firmly held against his chest so as not to move it, and he welcomed Merlin fashioning a sling to secure it but further.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you think you can ride?" The servant asked when he had finished turning Lancelot's cloak into a sling. "I can lead your horse if you need."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think I can manage." The hardest part was going to be just getting into the saddle with only one hand, but he had no doubt that Arthur would help him up if he asked. Merlin was going to help him regardless, he knew. "I'm sorry to have ruined the afternoon." He doubted that they were asking whether he could ride so they could continue on to their picnic location.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not your fault," Gwen reassured him. "And it doesn't have to be ruined. If you're feeling up to it, we could have our lunch up on the parapet. I'm sure the trees are nearly as beautiful to look at from above as from beneath."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And it's the company that's more important than the scenery anyway," Merlin added as he helped the knight to his feet. "We're all just glad you're not more hurt." Arthur nodded his agreement. Lancelot was happy too; he was lucky not only to have landed relatively well, but also to have such great friends.</span>
</p>
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